Alaotra grebe

The grebe was about long. Its ability to fly long distances was restricted because of its small wings. ==Diet==

The Alaotra grebe fed mostly on fish, although insects were found in the stomachs of a few specimens. Its hefty bill was considered typical of a piscivorous grebe. == Breeding ==

The breeding behavior of the Alaotra grebe was largely undocumented. Because little and Alaotra grebes were able to successfully pair off, it is suspected that courtship and pair formation took place in December, while most breeding activity took place between January and March. However, based on some observations of older juveniles with their mothers in late May and early June 1929, it is suspected that some egg laying must have occurred in April to June. Otherwise, the behavior of this grebe is undescribed, although it is suspected to have behaved similarly to the closely related little grebe. ==Extinction==

The species declined in the course of the 20th century, mainly because of habitat destruction, entanglement with monofilament gillnets and predation by the introduced blotched snakehead (Channa maculata). Also, the few remaining birds increasingly hybridized with little grebes; as the species differed in several key aspects, the hybrid birds may have suffered from decreased fitness, to the detriment of the rufolavatus gene pool. Only one photograph of the species is known to exist. Although some species have been classified as extinct and later have been found to still exist, Leon Bennun, the director of the conservation organization BirdLife International has stated that "no hope remains for this species" and blames the "unforeseen consequences" of human action. This extinction brought the number of confirmed bird extinctions since 1600 AD to 162. The previous declaration of a bird species as extinct was that of the Liverpool pigeon (Caloenas maculata) in 2008. However, that was more a problem of taxonomic recognition as that species was last recorded alive in the late 18th or early 19th century. == Distribution and habitat ==

"This aquatic species exhibited endemism to the island of Madagascar, exclusively inhabiting the environs of Lake Alaotra and adjacent water bodies. Notably, this grebe displayed a marked preference for the reed beds and papyrus clusters in the vicinity of the lake, which served as its primary nesting habitat." ==Gallery==

File:Tachybaptus rufolavatus by Citron transparent background.png|An artist's reconstruction. ==See also==